Investigation finds US Senator's hugs were unwanted, but not sexual in nature

A legislative investigation into unwanted hugs by a state senator nicknamed "Huggy Bear" in California's state Capitol found that he made people feel uncomfortable but that his behavior wasn't sexually motivated.

The Times obtained the report into hugging by state Sen. Bob Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys). It resulted in a letter of reprimand from a key Senate panel, which instructed him to stop initiating hugs.

"You are now on notice that your behavior has been unwelcome," members of the Senate Rules Committee wrote in a letter to Hertzberg on Tuesday.

The investigation also found Hertzberg had been warned by Senate leadership on two occasions in 2015 that his hugging and touching had raised concerns. The report chastised Hertzberg for not taking those warnings seriously, and said he "missed opportunities to understand that some people were genuinely troubled by his hugging."

Hertzberg said in an interview he was pleased the investigation concluded the intent behind his actions was not sexual in nature.

"To the extent anyone has felt uncomfortable with any of my hugs, I apologize to them," he said. "I've never meant anything other than just warmth and human connection, which I think has value in society."

The nickname in political circles comes from the seasoned lawmaker's signature bear hugs. Hertzberg's embraces came under scrutiny last fall amid a reckoning over sexual harassment in the state Capitol. Hertzberg served in the Assembly from 1996 to 2002, and was Assembly speaker from 2000 until 2002. He returned to the Legislature upon his election to the Senate in 2014.

Different records released by the Senate in February revealed that Hertzberg in 2015 embraced a Senate staffer and "began to dance and sing a song to her" in a way that the staffer felt was "uncomfortable and unwelcome." That incident was not included in this investigation.